Waterproof carrying bag

ABSTRACT

A waterproof carrying case formed from a soft flexible material using dielectric welding. A main body of the bag carries a interlocking closure member fused in the open top and sealed against the main body by a pair of end sleeves positioned over a corner of the main body and the closure member. A pair of opening loop handles is secured to the main body adjacent the closure member. By pulling on the loop handles, a user can open tightly closed interlocking closure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a carrying case and more particularly to a bag specially adapted for protecting the contents of the bag against damage by moisture.

People engaged in outdoor activities usually carry a number of items, such as food supplies, ammunition for hunting guns, electronics and other similar items that need to be protected from moisture. Under such conditions, provision of a moisture-impermeable carrying case or container becomes essential.

Conventional carrying cases or containers are not, as a general rule, completely watertight. Moisture can seep through the line of closure, through zippers, openings under the zippers and cause deterioration of the contents of the carrying case. Even bags or carrying cases constructed from water repellent material suffer from imperfections in construction, as they do not allow creation of truly a watertight enclosure.

One of the earlier solutions to the waterproofing the carrying case is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,215 issued on Mar. 5, 2002. The bag in accordance with the '215 patent is made from a moisture-impermeable material, a piece of which is cut on a bias. The end panels and the main body of the '215 patent bag are connected by dielectric welding. A zip-lock closure member is secured by dielectric welding to the open end of the bag after the end panels have been secured. While the bag in accordance with the '215 patent works satisfactorily in most environments, it was noted that some moisture tended to seep in the area where the zip-lock closure was attached to end ears, which carry top buckles. Another shortcoming was noted in the narrow pull-out tabs, which extended too close to the zip-lock closure. Persons wearing gloves or having cold fingers found it sometimes difficult to grasp the narrow tabs and open the bag.

The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of a waterproof carrying case, which prevents moisture from seeping into the bag, while providing a means for opening the bag in an easy manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a moisture-impermeable carrying case.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrying case with a closure that is easy to open for a user wearing gloves.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a soft sided moisture-impermeable bag, which has end sleeve members sealed against the body of the bag and the top closing member. The bag has a main body formed from a material capable of being welded by dielectric welding. To prevent seeping of moisture adjacent the line of attachment of the self-sealing interlocking closure member to the main body, a portion of the end sleeve is sealingly engaged with the main body and with the closure member, slightly overlapping the closure member and the main body.

To facilitate opening of the bag, a pair of mirror-image opposing ear, or tab members is secured near the center top of the bag, adjacent to the closing member. The soft-sided bag can be manufactured with one or more handles, each carrying securing buckles, if desired. A closure member is secured by dielectric welding to the open end of the bag. The closure member can be made from extruded plastic material.

The soft-sided carrying case manufactured in accordance with the method of the present invention can be made in the shape of a duffel bag, a gun carrying case, a back-pack, a cylindrical body, or any other desired shape. By using dielectrically-weldable material for the main body and the end panels, as well as interlocking extruded closure member, a moisture-impermeable body is created.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bag manufactured in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective detail view of the end sleeve secured on the main body and the closure member.

FIG. 3 is a detail schematic view of a step in a method of opening the bag in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a detail schematic view of the next step in the method of opening the bag in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a detail schematic view of the following step in the method of opening the bag in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings in more detail, reference will now be made to the drawings, presented for illustrative purposes only, wherein numeral 10 designates the bag of the present invention. The main body of the bag 12 is made from a soft, flexible, moisture-impermeable material, for example, double coated embossed polyurethane, with a base layer of #420 denier nylon. Of course, other materials can be used to manufacture bags of the present invention, as long as the materials have physical and chemical characteristics suitable for welding by dielectric welding. The main body 12 is cut from a sheet of polyurethane-coated nylon material, which may be cut on a bias of approximately 45 degrees. While not absolutely necessary for the construction of the carrier of the present invention, the material may be cut on a bias. As a result, certain stretching and “giving” of the material is achieved, which facilitates wrinkle-free attachment of the end panels to the main body 10.

The main body 12 may be patterned to form a cylindrical bag, a satchel, a duffel bag and the like. FIG. 1 illustrates a duffel bag, which has a pair of end panels secured to the main body 12. The main body carries a pair of handles 16 (only one side with one handle 16 is shown in FIG. 1). The handle 16 is made from a narrow strip of a strong, tear-resistant fabric that can be folded in two, if necessary, and stitched together to provide further thickness and strength to the handle 16. Each handle 16 is secured to an attachment element 18, which are made from scraps of the same material as the main body 12.

The ends of each handle 16 carry buckles 20 and 22, which are secured to the handle 16 in a conventional manner. The buckles shown in FIG. 1 are female buckles. It will be understood that the opposite side of the main body 12 is provided with a similar handle 16, which carries male buckles thereon adapted for a matching engagement with the buckles 20, 22. The second handle is attached in a mirror-image position to the handle 16 seen in FIG. 1.

An interlocking extruded closure member 30 extends along and near the top edge 32 of the main body 12. The closure member comprises a pair of mating portions, which carry inwardly extending ribs (not shown). The ribs of the mating portions are adapted to engage and close the top of the bag 12.

To facilitate opening of the closure member 30, the main body 12 is provided with a pair of large opening members 34 and 36. The structure of the opening members 34 and 36 is identical and the following description applies equally to each of the opening members. At attachment portion 40 is fixedly engaged to the main body 12 adjacent to the closure member 30. The attachment member may be secured to the main body 30 by dielectric welding or other suitable method of attachment.

Extending from the attachment member 40 is a large loop member 42, which can be secured by a rivet 44 to the attachment member 40. The loop member 42 is formed by a length of soft flexible material folded in half to form a loop. The loop member 42 may be made from a scrap of the same material used for the main body 12. The loop members 42 are sized to extend upwardly from the top edge of the closure member 30, thereby facilitating grasping of the loop members by the user's hands.

Such structure of the carrying case is different from conventional designs, where a means of opening a zipper closure (often a narrow strip of the closure extension) forms a part of the closure per se. By moving the opening members to the main body, the design of the carrying case of the present invention allows to facilitate engagement by human hands of the opening members even if a user wears gloves.

To prevent tearing of the closure member 30 during repeated opening of the bag 10 and to further moisture proof the carrying case 10, a pair of end sleeves 50 is provided for attachment to the bag main body 12 and the closure member 30. Each sleeve 50 comprises a folded piece of material stitched adjacent one end, as at 52 (see FIG. 2) to accommodate a side buckle 54 and it securing member 56. As can be seen in phantom line in FIG. 2, a portion 57 of the securing member 56 extends inside the sleeve 50, where it is secured by stitching applied to the sleeve 50 and the securing member 56.

The opposite end 58 of the sleeve 50 extends over a portion of the main body 12 and a portion 31 of the closure member 30. The line of attachment of the closure member 30 to the main body 12 is enclosed by the sleeve 30. During manufacture, the end sleeve 50 carrying the buckle 54 and the securing member 56, is positioned with its open part 58 extending over a corner 60 of the main body 12 and the part 31 of the closure element 30 (see FIG. 2). The end sleeve 50 is then sealed about the corner 61 and the part 31, such as by dielectric welding, thereby preventing any seepage of moisture into the interior of the bag 10. The end sleeve 50 is sealed to both sides of the main body 12, thereby closing the entire line of attachment of the closure member 30 to the main body 12.

A similar end sleeve 50 is secured on the opposite end of the bag 10 (see FIG. 1). Provision of the buckle member 54 is optional and it is envisioned that some of the carrying cases can be constructed omitting the buckles 54 altogether. However, even in such embodiments, the sleeve 50 should be positioned about opposite ends of the closure member 30, to thereby close the line of attachment of the closure member 30 to the main body 12 and fuse the closure member 30 to the main body 12.

In the manufacturing process of the present invention, the elements are secured together with the use of radio frequency in a process conventionally identified as RF, or dielectric welding. This method is used for joining polymers that have strong dipoles, including polyurethane. During dielectric welding method, a high intensity alternating electromagnetic field is applied to the dipoles. As the dipoles alternate with the changing field polarity, some of the field energy is converted into heat creating a weld seam between the two items. The weld times usually range from 1-6 seconds, depending on the material, thickness of the material, as well as the area being welded.

The apparatus for performing dielectric welding is available on the market, from, for example, Hall Dielectric Machinery Co., Inc. of Rock Hill, S.C. The instrumentation uses microprocessors to insure the necessary control during the weld cycle and wrinkle-free welding. The RF frequency generating machines can generate frequency in the range of 27.120 MHz .+−.0.06%. The instrumentation produces under 1 MW/sq. cm. of magnetic and electric radiation.

Turning now to the process of opening the bag 10 illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, a user grasps the loop members 34 and 36 or places his/her thumbs inside the loops created by the loop member 34, 36. The user then slightly folds the closure member 30 (FIG. 4) to form about 90 degree fold 62. The user then pulls on the loop members 34, 36 moving them apart (FIG. 5) until the closure halves form an opening 64 and allowing access to the interior of the bag 10.

A user wearing gloves can easily perform this procedure since the loop members are relatively large and can accommodate gloved fingers. The construction of the loop members 34, 36 is also beneficial for people, who have lost some dexterity in their fingers, due to cold conditions, age or illness.

The bag manufactured in accordance with the present invention is flexible, somewhat stretchable, watertight and allows to retain a number of moisture-sensitive objects therein. It can be easily carried to a desired location by the flexible handles, transporting the supplies and/or sport ammunition to an outdoor location. Of course, other shapes can be used for the manufacture of the carrying case of the present invention. For example, a gun-carrying case can be made according to the same method. The method of manufacturing the soft-sided bag, or carrying case takes advantage of the radio frequency, or dielectric welding for the production of a seamless, wrinkle-free bag.

The types of materials used in the method of the present invention for the manufacturing of the bag can vary, depending on the particular purpose of the bag. The plastic material, double-coated embossed polyurethane is readily available on the market from, for example, URETEK, Inc. of New Haven, Conn. One of the tested materials had a polyether polyurethane coating of 4 oz./sq. yd. The fabric layer was #420 denier nylon, 50.times.40 threads/inch. The weight of the fabric was 8 oz./sq. yd. The material tested with the method of the present invention has a tensile strength warp 400 lbs., fill 300 lbs., puncture resistance—80 lbs. The self-closing zippper lock closure member 30 made from extruded plastic is likewise readily available on the market in a roll form, allowing to cut the required length for manufacturing of a designated size of a bag. The buckles can be conventional slide release buckles with D-rings; they are readily available from a number of manufacturers.

Many changes and modifications can be made in the design and method of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. We, therefore, pray that our rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A carrying case, comprising: a main body having an open top; a closure member secured in the open top of the main body; and a pair of opening members secured to the main body adjacent the open top of the main body, said opening members extending outwardly from the main body.
 2. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said closure member comprises a interlocking closure member.
 3. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said opening members are adapted for grasping by a user's hands and pulling in opposing directions to facilitate opening of the interlocking closure member.
 4. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein each of said opening members comprises an attachment member fixedly secured on an outside of the main body and a loop member carried by the attachment member.
 5. The carrying case of claim 4, wherein said loop member is sized to allow grasping by a human hand.
 6. The carrying case of claim 4, wherein said loop member is sized to allow positioning of at least human fingers therein.
 7. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising a means for sealing a line of attachment of the closure member to the main body to prevent seeping of moisture into the interior of the carrying case.
 8. The carrying case of claim 7, wherein said sealing means comprises a pair of sealing sleeves mounted about respective ends of the closure member and configured to overlap at least a portion of an adjacent corner of the main body.
 9. The carrying case of claim 8, wherein each of said sealing sleeves is fused to the main body and to the closure member.
 10. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said main body is formed from a flexible moisture-impermeable material capable of being welded by dielectric welding.
 11. A carrying case, comprising: a flexible main body having an open top, said body being formed from liquid-impermeable material; an interlocking closure member secured in the open top of the main body; a pair of sleeves sealingly engaging and overlapping opposing ends of the closure member and covering a line of attachment of the closure member to the main body; and a pair of opening members secured to the main body adjacent the open top of the main body, said opening members extending outwardly from the main body.
 12. The carrying case of claim 11, wherein each of said opening members comprises an attachment member fixedly secured on an outside of the main body and a loop member carried by the attachment member, said loop member being configured for grasping by a human hand.
 13. The carrying case of claim 12, wherein said loop member is sized to allow positioning of at least human fingers therein.
 14. The carrying case of claim 11, wherein each of said end sleeves is sized to cover at least a portion of the main body.
 15. A method of forming a soft-sided carrying case, comprising the steps of: forming a main body from a piece of flexible material, said main body having an open top and closed sides and bottom; securing a closure member in the open top of the main body and fusing said closure member to the main body; providing a pair of end sleeves and positioning said sleeves in an overlapping relationship over at least a part of the closure member and the main body; fusing said end sleeves to the main body and the closure member; and providing opening members and securing the opening members to the main body adjacent the closure member.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said closure member comprises interlocking closure member.
 17. The method of claim 15, further wherein said steps of fusing the closure member and the end sleeves comprise the step of dielectric welding.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of opening said formed carrying case to allow access to the interior of the formed carrying case.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of opening the carrying case comprises the steps of grasping said opening members and bending the closure member to case a gap to form between parts of the closure member, and then applying a pulling force on the opening members, thereby forcing the parts of the closure member apart.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein said main body is formed from a moisture-impermeable material. 